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The present doctoral thesis studies the association between pre-colonial institutions and long-run development in Latin America. The thesis is organised as follows: Chapter 1 places the motivation of the thesis by underlying relevant contributions in the literature on long-run development. I then set out the main objective of the thesis, followed by a brief outline of it. In Chapter 2, I study the effects of pre-colonial institutions on present-day socioeconomic outcomes for Latin America. The main thesis of this chapter is that more advanced pre-colonial institutions relate to better socioeconomic outcomes today - principally, but not only, through their effects on the Amerindian population. I test such hypothesis with a dataset of 324 sub-national administrative units covering all mainland Latin American countries. The extensive range of controls covers factors such as climate, location, natural resources, colonial activities and pre-colonial characteristics - plus country fixed effects. Results strongly support the main thesis. In Chapter 3, I further analyse the association between pre-colonial institutions and present-day economic development in Latin America by using the historical ethnic homelands as my main unit of analysis. The main hypothesis is that ethnic homelands inhabited by more advanced ethnic groups -as measured by their levels of institutional complexity- relate to better economic development today. To track these long-run effects, I construct a new dataset by digitising historiographical maps allowing me to pinpoint the geospatial location of ethnic homelands as of the XVI century. As a result, 375 ethnic homelands are created. I then capture the levels of economic development at the ethnic homeland level by making use of alternative economic measures --satellite light density data. After controlling for country-specific characteristics and applying a large battery of geographical, locational, and historical factors, I found that the effects of pre-colonial institutions relate to a higher light density --as a proxy for economic activity- in ethnic homelands where more advanced ethnic groups lived. In Chapter 4, I explore a mechanism linking the persistence of pre-colonial institutions in Latin America over the long-run: Colonial and post-colonial strategies along with the ethnic political capacity worked in tandem allowing larger Amerindian groups to "support" the new political systems in ways that would benefit their respective ethnic groups as well as the population at large. This mechanism may have allowed the effects of pre-colonial institutions to influence socioeconomic development outcomes up to today. To shed lights on this mechanism, I combine the index of pre-colonial institutions prepared for the second chapter of the present thesis with individual-level survey data on people's attitudes. By controlling for key observable and unobservable country-specific characteristics, the main empirical results show that areas with a history of more advanced pre-colonial institutions increase the probability of individuals supporting present-day political institutions. Finally, in Chapter 5, I summarise the main findings of the thesis, and emphasise the key weaknesses of the study as well as potential avenues for future research.

Cette thèse propose une étude de l’œuvre de l’économiste et historien brésilien Celso Furtado, dans le but de mettre en lumière l’évolution de la pensée et des travaux de l’auteur pendant la période où il a enseigné à Paris (1965-1985). Le parcours de Celso Furtado est retracé dans ce travail depuis la réalisation de ses études doctorales en France, quand il reçoit des influences décisives dans l’évolution subséquente de sa pensée sur le développement économique. Ensuite, est présentée la collaboration de l’auteur à la période de constitution de la Commission économique pour l’Amérique latine (CEPAL-ONU), école de pensée qui propose une approche innovatrice des problèmes des économies sous-développées. Son engagement au gouvernement brésilien (créateur et directeur de la Superintendance pour le développement du Nordeste - SUDENE et premier ministre du Plan), dans un contexte international marqué par les polarisations de la Guerre froide, est également analysé. En exil depuis l’instauration de la dictature militaire au Brésil, il s’installe à Paris, y développant une longue carrière universitaire. Cette thèse met alors en lumière la contribution de Celso Furtado à l’étude du développement économique et des économies latino-américaines en France, ainsi que les nouvelles voies de réflexion sur les problèmes du sous-développement proposées par l’auteur pendant son exil à Paris. / This thesis is devoted to the work of the Brazilian economist and historian Celso Furtado. It traces his career and presents the evolution of his thought and work during the time he taught at Paris (1965-1985). This study first presents Celso Furtado’s doctoral studies in France, when he received decisive influences for the subsequent evolution of his thinking on economic development. Next, it shows the author’s contribution at the formative years of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC-UN), school of thought that proposed an innovative approach to the problems of underdeveloped economies. His commitment to the Brazilian government (creator and director of the Superintendency for the Development of the Northeast, and first Minister of Planning), in an international context marked by the polarization of the Cold War, is also analyzed. In exile since the establishment of the Brazilian military dictatorship, he moved to Paris, where he develops a long academic career. Finally, this thesis highlights the contribution of Celso Furtado to the study of economic development and Latin American economies in France, as well as the new ways of thinking about the problems of underdevelopment undertaken by the author during his exile in Paris.